Sermon -- 8th Sunday after Pentecost (July 18, 2021)

AMOS 7:10-15

THE LORD CALLS ORDINARY PEOPLE FOR EXTRAORDINARY SERVICE.

 In the name + of Jesus.

      “Who do you think you are?”  People usually say it to put someone in their place.  If you’ve had an unruly child, you’ve probably said that to him.  A store owner might say it to a customer who is making ridiculous demands.  I remember one “Who do you think you are?” moment from social media.  A man was giving some medical advice on a blog.  Of course, we don’t believe everything we read on social media.  So, one commenter shot back, “Oh, and are you a doctor?  Is this your area of expertise?  Did you write a paper on it?  And did it go through peer review?”  The man replied, “Yes.  Yes.  Yes.  And yes.”  That was a “Who do you think you are?” moment that backfired.

     The prophet Amos endured his own “Who do you think you are?” moment when he was sent to preach to the northern tribes of Israel.  The nation of Israel had been divided into two kingdoms after the house of David proved to be unfaithful to God.  Ten tribes broke off in the north.  But since the king did not want his subjects going to Jerusalem for worship, he set up his own renegade worship.  One of those places was in Bethel.  Even through God had said he would dwell in the temple at Jerusalem, the king set up an alternative temple.  Even though God had declared only Levites could serve as his priests, the king of the north hired anyone who wanted the job.  Amaziah was one such priest.  He was a renegade priest of this renegade worship in this renegade temple.

     God had been clear what he demanded of his people for faithful worship.  In the north, they tried to mimic it, so it looked religious.  For many that was good enough.  But God is never pleased when we stray from his word.  Pretty sins are still sins.  If that is how they regarded worship, we should not be surprised that they also turned from God’s word in their lives.  That is why God sent Amos to them.  He was not content to let his people fall away.  The Lord commanded Amos, “Go, prophesy to my people Israel” (Amos 7:15).  God still called them “my people.”  He wanted to keep them.  So, God called this ordinary man to do extraordinary things.

       Amos gave warning to the renegades who tried to make their abandonment of God’s word look pretty and pious.  Amos’ words of judgment were interpreted as conspiracy against the king and his temple.  The priest Amaziah said, “The land is not able to bear all his words” (Amos 7:10).  Amaziah was implying that these were Amos’s words, a petty man with a political agenda.  In other words, “Who do you think you are?!”  Therefore, he sought to drive him out of the north.  “O seer, go, flee away to the land of Judah, and eat bread there, and prophesy there, but never again prophesy at Bethel” (Amos 7:12-13). 

     Amos was an ordinary man, and he said so.  He said, “I did not ask for this job.  I am no professional prophet, and I did not go to seminary.  I herded sheep and cattle.  I tended orchards.  I was pretty successful at it.  But the Lord took me from following the flock, and the Lord said to me, ‘Go, prophesy to my people Israel’” (Amos 7:15).  Amos was an ordinary man called to do extraordinary things.  And he made it clear, he was not spouting off his own political views or personal opinions.  The Lord had sent him.  The Lord gave him the words to say, and Amos was saying them.  God’s word was no less God’s word just because they came out of the mouth of an ordinary man.  Amos preached God’s truth to restore God’s people.  God calls ordinary people to do extraordinary things.

     Amos had to endure his “Who do you think you are?!” moment.  Amaziah tried to discredit Amos when he was rebuked by God’s word—as if silencing God’s word means it no longer applies.  We might hurl that phrase when we don’t like what we hear, too.  We all crave praise, and we usually gravitate to those who give it.  It is no longer enough to have permission to sin against God, we also want praise.  We want people to tell us that it is awesome when we cheat, defraud, fornicate, get drunk, take revenge, and pervert God’s word to support our actions.  We cut off those who tell us otherwise. 

     Sin turns everything upside down.  The world has reversed the definitions of love and hate, good and evil.  It is called love to encourage whatever makes people happy, and you will be called evil if you cite God’s word to say that anyone is wrong.  But this is what the Lord says: “Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God?  Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” (1 Corinthians 6:9-10).  The unrighteous cannot inherit the kingdom of righteousness.  Those verses convict and condemn us all; for no one is righteous.  God warns us so that we will not continue to violate his word and will not continue in sin.  Those who do fall under an everlasting curse.  But now such warnings are hate speech.  Let’s say it as clearly as we can: God’s word is now hate speech.  Calling sinners to repent is considered evil. 

     We need not be surprised at this.  We bristle at correction, too.  When we are confronted by sin, our defense mechanism kicks in.  We attack the one who calls us to repent.  “Oh yeah?  Who do you think you are, as if you’re perfect?!”  But even if everyone is a fraud, God’s word remains true.  This is what the Lord says: “there is no distinction: for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:22-23).  It is useless for us to play games to determine who is better, who is morally superior, or whose virtues glitter more brightly.  The standard is not the virtue of the one who speaks.  The standard is the word of God which is flawless and faultless.  Judgment does not rest with me or you or Amaziah or Amos.  All judgment has been entrusted to Jesus in whom there is no fault.  And he will uphold every word of God.

     If we do not follow God’s word, we are following lies.  Persuasive lies are still lies.  Pretty sins are still sins.  Here, God is right to ask us, “Who do you think you are to pit yourself against my word?  The word of the Lord endures forever.  Those who do not believe in it will certainly perish forever.”  No one is saved because he looks religious or is nice or found what makes him happy.  Salvation is found only in the word of God. 

     Jesus came to do the most extraordinary thing—to win a full pardon for the guilty and to rescue condemned people from death.  To do this, Jesus came as an ordinary man.  He came to do what we have not.  He not only preached God’s Law as true, he was true to God’s Law throughout his life.  He even took our place under God’s Law.  He lived our substitute and credited his holy life to us.  Our sins he took as his own, so that he could render a just judgment.  He was condemned as a renegade for us; and he sets us free as innocent.  You now stand before God as his saints—not because you are morally superior to anyone, not because you are more religious, not because you are worthy.  You are saints because Jesus has decreed it. 

     God uses ordinary means to apply to you his extraordinary grace.  When you were baptized into his name with ordinary water, you were washed clean and clothed in Jesus’ innocence.  Your salvation is secure because Jesus has backed this promise with his sacrificial death and glorious resurrection.  He continues to strengthen and keep you in the one true faith through a meal of ordinary bread and wine to which Jesus attaches words of extraordinary grace.  “This is my body,” he declares—the body that has conquered the grave and lives forever.  “This is my blood,” he declares—the blood which has paid for all your sins.  “This is for you” he declares—so that you receive the benefits of his death and resurrection.  And if your sins still haunt you, he provides you a minister to administer his absolution.  Through a flawed and ordinary man, God makes his extraordinary divine decree: “I forgive you in the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.”  None of this is based on the worthiness of the ordinary man who speaks and acts in the stead of Christ.  If it were, how could you ever know you are forgiven?  Rather, it all rests on the merits of Jesus Christ.  He lives and reigns to back every word he has uttered.  This is how you know you are redeemed and remain a child of God.

     God calls ordinary men to do extraordinary things.  Jesus called Andrew, Peter, James, and John who were ordinary fishermen.  Jesus called a political zealot named Simon.  He called Matthew, a tax collector.  He even called a persecutor of the Church, Paul.  Amos was a rancher and tended an orchard.  These people had different personalities, skills, and backgrounds.  These ordinary men had no plans to become preachers of God’s word.  God had different plans.  He called each of these men to become prophets and apostles in his Church.  The Lord calls ordinary people for extraordinary service.

     God still calls ordinary people to be pastors in his church.  None of them is called because if superior virtue or worthiness.  Nevertheless, God has been pleased to entrust the ministry to men.  Most are not pastors.  Still, he has entrusted you with his word to teach it to your children and grandchildren, to confess it to friends, and even to invite acquaintance and strangers to hear the word of the Lord.

     If you declare the word of the Lord, you might have someone stomp on you with a “Who do you think you are to lecture me?” moment, especially if they know your past.   You might even think, “Who am I that I should say anything to anyone else?”  But God’s word is not true because you are perfect or even good.  God’s word is true because God has said it.  You do not need to defend yourself for telling the truth.

     Regardless of who might discredit you by saying, “Who do you think you are?”, you know who you are.  God has told you: You are his beloved child.  You are his redeemed saint.  And you have been entrusted with the words of life.  This is all the more reason to speak to your loved ones about the mercies God has shown you!  What greater love could you show your friends than to tell them about the hope God gives to sinners?  This is the word which has saved you, comforts you, and guides you.  Will it not do the same for those whom you know and love?  If Amos can do it, so can you.  For, God calls ordinary people to tell this extraordinarily good news. 

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sermon -- TEN WORDS: 6th Commandment (August 9, 2020)

EXODUS 20:14

TEN WORDS – THE SEVENTH WORD.

MARRIAGE SHOULD BE HONORED BY ALL.

In the name + of Jesus.

      During the week of God's creation, while all the universe was still without a flaw, the Lord God established marriage as the basic unit of society.  One reason God gave for this is that “it is not good that the man should be alone.” (Genesis 2:18)  It is good for the man to have a wife so that God could issue this blessing: “Be fruitful and multiply.” (Genesis 1:28)  This is a general command and blessing which was bestowed upon all men and women.  This blessing produces a natural drive in men and women to enjoy intimacy and to have children.  In order for the children to be raised in a stable and secure environment, the man and woman would first be bound together in marriage—devoted for the good of each other and for the good of the children which God would give them.  None of this was an afterthought or reaction after Adam and Eve first saw each other.  From the beginning, even in a perfect world, this was God's design.  And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. (Genesis 1:31)  God blessed marriage and set it in high honor.  Therefore, marriage should be honored by all.

     From the very beginning, God had intended marriage to serve the highest good for a man and a woman.  It is the closest and most intimate relationship that can exist among people.  Those who have a good marriage know that this is true.  Whoever does not have a good, strong marriage knows that this close relationship can cause pain like no other.  When a marriage ends in divorce, the husband and wife who had been joined together as one are rent apart.  The ripple effects—or perhaps it feels more like pounding waves—also disturb children and extended families.  Society itself is weakened by families that break up.  And often children repeat the patterns that they learned from their parents, resulting in more divorces and broken homes.  Anyone who says that marriage is nothing more than a piece of paper ignores this breakdown and insults those who honor marriage for what God intends it to be.

     Marriage is to be honored by all, whether you are married or not.  In his explanation of the 6th Commandment, Martin Luther taught us what we are to strive toward: “We should fear and love God that we lead a pure and decent life in words and actions, and that husband and wife love and honor each other.” (Small Catechism)  It is not merely actions that God judges, but attitudes as well.  Marriage is often dishonored because of our speech.  Men make crude jokes about women, depicting them as objects of conquest to be used rather than people to be cherished and protected.  Some women have adopted this locker-room mentality or play to it.  They flaunt their bodies and boast of their own proclivities.  Now people celebrate what is impure and indecent in words and actions.  Both men and women belittle the value of marriage and turn sex into a sport rather than a gift.  Once the marriage bed is no longer reserved for marriage, we should not be surprised that marriage itself is deemed unnecessary.

     Marriage is to be honored by all.  God set it up as he did because he is a God of order.  He created man and woman as sexual beings.  God does not tell us that such urges are evil; they are natural.  But they are to be controlled as used in a way that God has deemed pure.  Therefore, God established the marriage union as the proper and blessed way of fulfilling those natural urges.  He has established a pattern for men and women to follow, and he bestows blessings upon the man and woman who keep his Commandment.  

     Unfortunately, we are being taught much more about love and marriage from the entertainment industry than from God's word.  The classic story is that a man and a woman meet, and that love is a continual romantic ride where the excitement never ends.  In these stories, one or both people are in relationships where the excitement had cooled off to a normal, routine life.  Then they find excitement from someone else.  If they craft the story well, you even find yourself cheering for a woman to leave her husband for the more exciting alternative.  How disappointing, then, when people discover that marriage is more about coordinating schedules and tending to chores than roses, dining, and dancing.  That's not to say that marriage is boring; it is to say that marriage is work.  And yet, God has decreed it to be most noble and holy work—that husbands and wives love and honor each other.

     Perhaps the problem lies in how we define the word, “Love.”  While dating and marriage certainly will include emotion and romance, that is not love.  Love is not an emotion that burns hot and cools off; love is a policy which remains constant.  It is a commitment that each will be devoted to the good of the other.  That commitment is never withdrawn, even when a man and wife are fighting over something.  The marriage vow is binding.  The commitment is unconditional.  And love is the policy that keeps the bond and the commitment intact.

     St. Paul teaches us that marriage is a reflection of the love and commitment that exists between Christ and his Church.  He wrote: “Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.” (Ephesians 5:25-27)  Christ does not love the Church because he gains something by having her.  He chooses her despite her blemishes and faults.  But he does not ignore them.  Instead, he covers them.  He takes what belongs to the Bride and makes it his own.  So Jesus assumes the debt his Bride owes and he pays the price.  Though it means he must suffer hellish torment and though it costs him his life, Jesus willingly dies for the benefit of his Bride, the Church.  

     By his sufferings and death, Jesus has paid the bride-price to have his Church.  And he has been pleased to bring you into it.  He has taken away all your sins and covered you in his innocence.  And he does not love you with conditions or for as long as he finds it exciting or worth his while.  Jesus Christ loves his Bride, the Church.  This is the policy.  He is committed to her good, and he covers every wrinkle, every spot, and every blemish with his own innocence and goodness.  She is beautiful because he makes her beautiful.  Marriage should be honored by all husbands in this way.  Husbands are to love and honor their wives.  This means a man will have a sacrificial love which regularly says “No” to himself so that what he would invest in himself he instead invests for the good of his bride and his family.  For, this is how Christ loves and honors his betrothed, his Church.  

     While men and women may seek to find the one each will marry, it is the man who leaves his father and mother to establish the new house with his bride.  It is the husband who is to give his provision, protection, and his name to his wife.  For, love is the policy that endlessly seeks the good of his wife.  And how does the wife respond to all this?  St. Paul wrote: “Wives, submit to your own husbands, as to the Lord.  For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior. (Ephesians 5:22-23)  Americans bristle at the word “submit.”  Americans have been taught that we submit to no one.  This is one of the reasons marriages fail.  Marriage cannot work as a two-headed beast or as a rivalry.

     Marriage should be honored by all wives who submit as the Church submits to Christ.  Why does the Church submit to Christ?  Because that is how she receives good things from him.  By submitting to Christ, the Church is not humiliated, but exalted.  The Bride receives from her Groom his commitment, his name, his protection, and his provision.  Just as Christ took from her all that was hers—her debt and her flaws, so also Christ gives to her all that is his—his righteousness and his glory.  In this same way, wives are to rejoice in receiving the love, devotion, and dedication of their husbands.  All that is his is given to her.  Marriage should be honored by all wives in this way.  Wives are to love and honor their husbands; finding ways to support them and exalt them rather than to catalog their faults and let them know how other husbands are better.  For, this is how the Church loves and honors Christ.  

     Is the love Christ has for his church emotional or romantic?  No.  Jesus does not look at you googly-eyed, singing sappy love songs, and wanting to hold your hand.  Jesus' love is a fully-committed, unconditional dedication for your benefit and your salvation.  Love is fulfilled in hard work—saying “No” to oneself for the sake of the other.  Jesus did the work, forsaking what was good for himself, so that you would receive his blessings.  Because of his sacrificial love, Jesus pardons all your offenses—even sins against the 6th Commandment, be they adultery, divorce, fornication, lust, or obscenity.  The Lord Jesus continues to cover your debts and clothes you in his righteousness because he remains faithful to the vow he made to you, sealed in your baptism and renewed in Holy Communion.  

     Marriage should be honored by all—whether you are married, single, or divorced.  God established it for the good of man and woman, for the blessing of a family, and for the stability of society.  He has decreed it to be very good.  And because he has betrothed himself to the Church and exalted his Bride, we shall all have a place at the wedding feast of the Lamb.  For we are his beloved redeemed, and he is ever faithful to us.

In the name of the Father and of the Son + and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.